


temporarily estranged

by buggywriter



Category: Mighty Ducks (Movies)
Genre: M/M, a bit angsty?, im so bad at tags, maybe a little ooc?, minor injury, no beta we die like men, reconnection, they’re in college
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 15:47:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28815867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buggywriter/pseuds/buggywriter
Summary: Dean Portman was many things but he was not a coward. He was cocky, stubborn, and hot headed. Rough around the edges, rarely letting anyone else in. He was a natural flirt, winking at girls and taking his clothes off without a thought. He made the girls go wild and he liked it that way. He loved the attention. He loved hyping up the crowd. He was charismatic. He was untouchable, invincible even.Until he wasn’t.
Relationships: Dean Portman/Fulton Reed
Kudos: 8





	temporarily estranged

Dean Portman was many things but he was not a coward. He was cocky, stubborn, and hot headed. Rough around the edges, rarely letting anyone else in. He was a natural flirt, winking at girls and taking his clothes off without a thought. He made the girls go wild and he liked it that way. He loved the attention. He loved hyping up the crowd. He was charismatic. He was untouchable, invincible even.

Until he wasn’t. 

The first game of his sophomore year of college was one he’d never forget. He hadn’t been on the ice in so long and was eager to get back. It was the second period and his team was down by one point. Portman had always been a fan favorite no matter where or who he played and it was no different now. He was able to hype up the crowd like no other and despite not having a certain someone by his side, it still felt so amazing to have that effect on people. It was mesmerizing. 

Dean had taken a moment during the line up to find his friends in the crowd. Julie and Kenny had promised to make it to his first game and to his surprise, they actually did. He was just having a hard time finding them in the crowd when the stands had finally filled up. 

Dean had found them but now, they weren’t alone. There was someone beside them, his jaw clenched and his brows furrowed as if he was deep in thought despite the chaos around him. He was taller now, his hair was turning blonde but it still hung in front of his face the way Dean had loved so long ago. It was a little longer than when he had last seen him. Despite the changes, he knew immediately it was Fulton. 

He felt the blood drain from his face and immediately turned back to the game. He wasn’t going to be able to concentrate now that he knew Fulton was here. Julie and Kenny had mentioned him here and there—he took a gap year after high school, he stayed just as quiet as he was when Dean had left—but he never thought he’d see him at one of his games. All he could think about was the way things had ended between them and before he realized what was going on, the ref had blown the whistle and the second period had begun. 

Despite his better judgement, Dean snuck a glance at where his friends sat every now and then. Fulton’s eyes were glued to him and it made his stomach sink. He forced himself back into the game just in time to see an opposing defenseman coming his way. Skating after him as quickly as he could, he halted to a stop and pivoted just as the opposing enforcer came and checked him into the glass from behind. 

Something popped in his leg and before he knew it, he was on the ground, his eyes fixed on the LED lights that blinded him from above.

Making an attempt to sit up and move his leg only made it worse. The ache that was already there worsened, feeling as if it shot up his leg and into his chest. Two refs had come to help him up, his arms draped over their shoulder as he was practically carried off the ice. He felt pathetic—especially as the crowd applauded—but that was the least of his worries. His knee was injured and it was only the first game of the season. There was a chance he wouldn’t get to play again this year. Recovery would take even longer than that. 

For once in his life, Dean Portman was terrified. 

He spent an hour alone in the trainer’s room, having no one but his coach—momentarily—to lean on for support when the athletic trainer consulting him confirmed that his ACL was torn. He’d need to get surgery and go through physical therapy that would take over a year according to the trainer. As if that wasn’t bad enough, his coach was already talking about keeping him off the ice for the season. Dean’s whole world was crumbling around him and he felt like he was going to be sick, or cry, or both. 

An elastic band was put around his knee to keep it from swelling. The ice pack resting on it couldn’t stop the burning ache. It felt like his knee was on fire. 

He was left alone, sitting on the bench with his head in his hands. Thought after thought came into his head making him feel worse. He wanted to break something. He wanted to feel the familiar sting in his knuckles so he could forget about the pain in his knee.

He stood on wobbly legs and turned to face the wall, winding back with a clenched fist and bared teeth. His blood was boiling. 

The door opened and before he could strike, Julie and Kenny had entered the room. “Hey, we’ve been trying to get in here for— Dean!” Kenny grabbed him by the arm and forced it down. “Don’t, man. You don’t need to hurt yourself even more.” 

Dean’s shoulders slumped and he practically back onto the bench. “I—“ His breath caught in his throat and he could feel tears forming in his eyes. He refused to cry in front of them. “I can’t do this.” The room felt like it was closing in on him and all he could do was wipe away his tears and try his best to breathe. He vaguely recognized Julie sitting beside him, her hand on his back. 

“Yes, you can. We’re gonna be here for you. This isn’t the end—“

“Yes it is!” Dean yelled out in frustration, hands shaking. “What if I can’t play again?”

“You can’t focus on the ‘what if’s.” Kenny chimed in. “With stuff like this, you gotta take it one moment at a time. We’re gonna be by your side and I’m sure the other Ducks will be too.”

With the mention of the other ducks, Dean was met with the sudden realization that Fulton had been at the game. He had seen everything go down. “Maybe.” Dean sighed. “I didn’t really... keep in touch with them so I wouldn’t be surprised if they weren’t too eager to visit.” He tried to joke, his laughter contorting into a sob as his tears finally spilled. He couldn’t hold it in anymore. A hand rubbed at his back while another squeezed his shoulder. His otherwise cold body gladly accepting the warmth from his friends. They made him feel a little better. 

“That’s not true. They all miss you.” Julie said, quickly adding, “I mean, why else would Fulton have to come—“

The door creaked open once more and this time, Dean didn’t even look up. He just rubbed at his eyes, expecting it to be his trainer or his coach again. 

With the awkward silence that came over the group, Dean figured that wasn’t the case.

He forced himself to look up through bleary eyes, his gaze caught on the blonde roots that peeked through the boy’s otherwise brown hair. The scar along his cheek had faded and stretched slightly but other than that he looked exactly the same. His mouth was set in a deep frown and his blue eyes were set on the floor. Fulton wouldn’t even look at him. 

Dean wiped his eyes and took a deep breath, his mouth in a thin line despite the looks he was getting from Julie and Kenny. What did they want him to do? He didn’t have anything to say to Fulton. 

Before he could even open his mouth and weakly greet the other boy, Julie and Kenny had risen from their places beside him. “We’ll be right back. We’re gonna.. go try and find the athletic trainer so he can tell us a bit more about what’s going on with you.” Julie said, practically pushing Kenny out the room before Dean could protest. The door slam shut behind them and now Dean was left alone with Fulton.

Portman refused to look up. He was truly a coward, afraid of what Fulton might say or do. They had always been on the same page, knowing how the other was feeling or what they were thinking. That had stopped a while ago. Fulton’s expression was unreadable and his arms were crossed along his chest. He wasn’t going to let Dean in and he couldn’t blame him.

It reminded him of first time they had met and it brought a pained smile to his face. He and Fulton had started off on the wrong foot but they quickly got along. They had been so close and worked so hard to break down each other’s walls only for them to be brought back up when Dean left junior year of high school. All their moments together no longer mattered, even if they were forever ingrained in Portman’s mind. 

“You should’ve told me you were coming. I would’ve tried to talk to you before the game or something.” Dean finally broke the silence, still staring at his lap. 

Fulton scoffed, leaning against the wall. “Yeah, I’m sure you would’ve.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know exactly what it means, Dean.” The use of his first name along with the bitterness in Fulton’s tone made Portman stiffen, the pit in his stomach worsening. “I tried to call you. I tried to keep in touch as much as I could and you just.. didn’t care.”

“That’s not true. I cared I was just..” Portman trailed off, biting his lip. He didn’t know how to explain himself to the other boy without sounding like an asshole. “..busy, I guess.”

“I’m sure.” He could imagine Fulton rolling his eyes and clenching his jaw. “Whatever, I should know not to waste my time trying to get you to tell me the truth. We both know you’re shit at opening up to people.”

Now that was a low blow. 

“If you hate me then why the fuck are you still here? You could leave. You didn’t even have to come to the game, Fulton. It’s not like I asked you to come.”

“You didn’t?” The anger in Fulton’s voice faded and he sounded softer, confused. 

Portman finally looked up. “No? Did you think I did?”

“Julie and Kenny told me that you... Oh my fucking god, I’m so stupid.” Fulton laughed bitterly, shaking his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe I actually thought you might..” He trailed clenching his hands into fists. 

“Miss you?” Dean dared to say, finally standing and facing Fulton.

Fulton’s jaw was set, his eyes on the floor as he nodded, his face red. “I know you don’t, so can we just change the subject?”

“What? Why do you think that?”

Fulton’s neutral expression did nothing to mask the anger and sadness in his eyes. “Are you fucking kidding me? You left, first off, and then you never answered my calls and just kind of left me hanging and never really broke things off with me which was a huge dick move, by the way. You can’t blame for not thinking otherwise.”

Dean stared at him, feeling weak in his legs for reasons other than his injury. “I’m sorry.” He said softly. “I did miss you. I just couldn’t bring myself to say anything before I left because I knew I’d stay if you ask and I just.. I couldn’t. My grandma was sick and I wanted to be there for her and I couldn’t bring myself to leave after she died. I was scared to call you because I had ignored you for so long and just felt like that was the best thing to do.” He sighed, ignoring the way his voice broke when Fulton eyes finally met his. 

“I thought that if I just ignored you that you’d find someone better and stop caring about how I left.” Dean added, playing with his earring. “I was an idiot and I’m sorry.”

“You are an idiot but I forgive you, Portman. I’m sorry about your grandma. I know you loved her and it couldn’t have been easy to go through that alone.” Fulton sighed and took a step closer to him, putting his hand on his shoulder and giving it a soft squeeze. “I’m kinda at fault too, anyway. I only thought about me when I should’ve thought about what you were going through, too.”

Portman didn’t know if it’d be appropriate to surge forward and hug the other boy. He had yearned for his presence for so long and now that he was here, he felt like he needed to walk on eggshells. The weird tension between them was yet to go away and so, he stayed put, his hands at his sides. 

“Do you think Julie and Kenny are gonna come back?” Fulton asked out of nowhere, a crooked smile forming on his face as Dean’s laughter rang through the room. He missed that. 

“Nah, I doubt it.” Dean said, his fading laughter leading to another awkward but less tense silence. It made him want to scream. 

“Oh, well.. I should probably go find them then.. Let them know that we’re.. okay. We are okay, right?

“Yeah, yeah. We’re good and you should go find them.” 

Fulton turned to the door and Dean’s chest started to ache. He didn’t want to lose touch again. He didn’t want this to be the last time he saw him only to have an awkward meet up in a few years. He couldn’t lose Fulton.

“Wait!” Portman called out, going rigid as Fulton stilled, his hand on the doorknob. 

“Yeah?” Fulton turned and all Portman could focus on was the look in his eye. If he didn’t know better, Fulton almost looked hopeful.

Portman sucked in a breath. He needed to man up. He couldn’t bear to lose two things in one day. He needed to stop being a bitch. He needed to push aside the thought of rejection. His heart was hammering and he felt like he couldn’t breathe but he still managed to croak out, “Don’t go.” He despised how weak he sounded. 

“What?”

“Please, don’t leave yet.”

“Portman..”

“Julie told me you took a gap year and you.. you could even stay in my dorm! I don’t have a roommate so it’s not like you’d be bothering anyone.” He wondered if Fulton could connect the dots. He had practically chased out every roommate he had because they weren’t Fulton. They’d get annoyed at his need for constant music. They’d say he snored too loud or talked in his sleep too much. They hated how messy he was. 

“I don’t know if it’s a good idea..”

“Why? You got a boyfriend or something?” Dean tried to sound like the idea of seeing Fulton with someone else didn’t bother him. 

“No.”

“Okay then, why not stay and catch up?”

“Because..” Dean knew what he was thinking even if he didn’t say it aloud. There was so much left unsaid between him and Fulton and it wasn’t like the years spent apart made it magically go away. Dean was still madly in love with the other boy and it was clear Fulton no longer reciprocated. It hurt Portman to think about. 

“Come on, Reed.” Dean egged on despite the voice screaming at him in the back of his head. “What do you got to lose?” He flashed a crooked grin at Fulton and it suddenly felt like they were back in high school, getting ready to go out on the ice. Back when they were a single entity, back when they were together, when things were better. 

“Fine, let’s go.” Fulton said, feigning annoyance even as the glint in his eyes gave away his excitement. The Bash Brothers were back for one night only. 

The pair was quick to find their other friends who happened to be waiting just outside the door, no trainer or coach in sight. Dean knew he had been played since the moment they walked out the door; while his friends were smart, neither Julie nor Kenny were good liars. 

They said their goodbyes and promised to come visit again soon, hoping to bring some of the other Ducks with. It made Dean weirdly happy to think about seeing more of his old friends. Julie couldn’t help but grin at Dean, clearly happy the two boys were finally getting along once again. Fulton must’ve noticed too because he was smiling bigger than he had all night. It looked good on him. 

“Ya know, talking to you almost made me forget about my knee.” Dean mumbled, glancing down at his feet as the ache in his knee got worse. It was all catching up to him again and part of him just wanted to sleep while the other was just focusing on the boy beside him. He was such a sap, it was awful. 

“Oh.” Fulton said simply, snaking his arm around Dean’s waist. “C’mere. I’ll take some of the weight off your leg.” 

A stupid joke about Fulton carrying him like a groom carried his bride was at the tip of his tongue but Dean kept quiet and wrapped his arm around him, trying not to think too much about it as he leaned into him. “Thanks, dude.”

Dean was lucky his dorm wasn’t too far from the rink because he didn’t think he could handle walking for too long. “Wait,” it finally dawned on him that Fulton didn’t drive here. “How’d you get here?”

Fulton stared at him, confused. “I took a train.”

“You didn’t come with Julie and Kenny?”

“No? I mean, they were the ones that convinced me to go but I didn’t think I was gonna go until I bought a train ticket yesterday.”

“Oh.” Dean felt like his heart was in his throat. “What changed your mind?”

“I wanted to see you.” Fulton cleared his throat and attempted to correct himself. “I wanted to see you play, I mean. I was wondering if you could hold up on the ice without me.”

“Clearly I can’t,” Dean motioned to his knee with a tired frown. “Maybe you should become a Spartan with me. I bet they’d kill to have both the Bash Brothers.” Though it was a joke, Dean couldn’t help but imagine how it’d be to play with Fulton again. 

Silenced lulled over the two boys again but this time, it was comfortable and light. They made their way to Dean’s dorm and as he opened the door, Fulton sucked in a breath, seemingly psyching himself up. “Dean?”

“Yeah?” He replied as he closed the door behind them, immediately sitting on his bed. 

“I don’t hate you. I never did and honestly, I don’t think I ever could.”

Dean just stared, trying to figure the other boy out. 

“I don’t hate you either.” He said, wrinkling his nose. 

“I know. I just,” Dean’s eyes followed Fulton’s hand as he ran it through his hair. “I was a dick earlier and I wanted to be sure you knew that I never hated you.”

Dean didn’t know how to respond so he just stared stupidly at the other boy. “Okay.” He drummed his fingers on the edge of the bed.

“Okay.” Fulton echoed, his mouth twitching. Dean wondered if he was expecting him to say something else. He had wanted to. Dean was so close to telling Fulton that he loved him. He had never stopped loving him and he didn’t think he’d find someone that could ever compare to the other boy. Fulton had been his other half and he didn’t know if anyone would ever come close to that. He kept his mouth shut, though. 

Fulton stood in the middle of the room, unsure if he was allowed to get close to Dean. “Do you wanna talk about your knee?”

Dean immediately looked away, hanging his head low. “No.”

“Portman..”

“Not yet, okay? I just.. I really don’t want to.” 

Fulton nodded curtly and took a few steps towards the other boy. “You look tired.”

“Huh, wonder why.” Dean shot back, looking back up as he heard Fulton move closer. 

“Hey, it was just an observation. Plus, I wouldn’t blame you if you were. You’ve been through a lot today. Maybe you should rest. I could go get an ice pack for your knee and then you can take a nap or something.”

Fulton watched Dean lay on his back before making a move to the door. He only took a step before he felt a hand around his wrist, stopping him in his tracks. He looked back at the other boy who’s eyes were wide and his mouth in a frown. “You’re gonna come back, right?” 

“What?”

“You’re gonna stay after I fall asleep? You can crash here. I can make room in my bed or something.”

“You want me to stay?”

Dean seemed to realize the implication of his words, his cheeks heating up and the hand around Fulton’s wrist going back into his lap. “Only if you’re okay with it. I wanna.. catch up with you.”

“Okay, I’ll stay.”

“Promise?” 

“Promise.”

“No,” Dean held out his hand to the other boy, so many memories coming back because of a simple action. “Promise.”

Fulton huffed and tried to hide the fact that he was glad Dean remembered. He intertwined their fingers and gave his hand a squeeze. “You’re a fucking softy, but I promise.”

“You’re the one that started it.” Dean called as Fulton headed out the door.

He was right. Fulton had been the one that started their little promise thing. He needed something quick and silent for when they were around others and pinky promises were too mushy for him. Then again, holding hands to make a promise wasn’t much better but, it was theirs and no one else’s. That was all that mattered in the long run. 

He returned to Dean’s room to find the other boy with his arm over his eyes. His knee must’ve been bothering him because in the time that Fulton was gone, he had put a pillow under it for support. He couldn’t tell if Dean was asleep or not but figured he wouldn’t take chances and walked as quietly as he could to his side. 

“Hi, Fulton.” Portman said quietly, not even looking at him. “Did you find an ice pack?”

“Mhm. I was lucky I found one with your name on it because I was about to just steal a random one from the fridge. He felt weird rummaging through something that wasn’t his, especially when it seemingly belonged to the other people on this floor as well. He almost felt like he was invading their privacy in a weird way. 

“Yeah, I knew I’d be sore after the game so I put it in there.”

“Ah, smart move.” Fulton put the ice pack under the brace, hoping he didn’t hurt the other boy. After a moment, he just stood there awkwardly, staring at Dean and wondering if he should go. 

“Wanna come on the bed?” Dean asked, taking his arm away from his face and shifting over so he was closer to the wall, leaving barely enough room for Fulton on the bed. It was a twin and they were both pretty big but Fulton couldn’t find it in himself to say no. 

He sat on the bed, trying to leave space between them which Dean didn’t seem to pick up on as he wrapped his arm around Fulton and pulled him close. Maybe he just didn’t care, Fulton thought. 

He listened to Dean just breathing beside him, a weird pain forming in his chest as he realized he had missed this more than he thought possible. Having Dean next to him made him feel whole again. He didn’t want this feeling to go away anytime soon.

“I think I’m still in love with you.” Dean said it as if it was nothing, or was atleast trying to act like it was nothing. His free hand was balled into a fist at his side and he was looking up at his ceiling.

Fulton felt fuzzy all over, he wanted to ask Dean to say it again so he could be sure he heard correctly but there was no mistaking what he had so boldly declared. 

Dean continued, “I know you’re over me, over us, but.. I’ve been holding that in since I saw you on the bleachers and I just needed to let it out. I never stopped loving you.” He took his arm away from Fulton and took a deep, shaking breath. 

Fulton kept quiet, his eyes glued to the boy beside him. 

“Honestly, I don’t know if I’d wanna stop even if I could.” He admitted. “Falling in love with you, even if it hurts now, was the best thing that ever happened to me.” His voice cracked and he shut his mouth, taking a deep breath to try and act like he wasn’t about to cry over Fulton. He had done that enough when they were apart. “God, I sound like a chick from a dumb ass rom com.” He rubbed at his eyes. 

“Why are you acting like you’re fucking dying, dude?” That was not at all what Fulton wanted to say but he was just glad he could get something out. 

“Because, you’re gonna leave after this and you’re probably not gonna wanna talk to me again because I’m an idiot who can’t let go of what we had. It’s fucking pathetic.”

“Shut up. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Fulton—“

“Dean, shut up.” Fulton said again. “I don’t think I ever got over you either.”

“What?”

“You heard me.” Fulton pulled Dean into a tight hug, careful not to mess with his leg. “I still love you.” He let out a relieved sigh and snuck his hand under the hem of Dean’s shirt, rubbing up and down his bare back. It felt good to let it out. Fulton had the words on the tip of his tongue since he got on the train to Chicago. He rehearsed over and over in his head and even then, he never thought it would end up like this. 

“Thank god.” Dean said, warmth filling his chest as he felt Fulton laugh against him. 

Fulton was the first to pull away, taking Dean’s face in his hands and staring at him with pure adoration. “God, I’m so in love with you.” He figured he’d never get tired of saying or hearing it as long as he was with Dean. 

Dean felt tears forming in his eyes. Today had been an overwhelming rollercoaster and he just couldn’t hold himself together anymore. As much as he hated crying, he couldn’t find it in himself to care too much when it was just Fulton. He had seen Dean at his lowest points and vice versa. They never hid how what they were going through from each other. 

“I wanna kiss you. Please.” He choked out, leaning into Fulton’s touch as he wiped away his tears. 

Fulton leaned in, cherishing the feeling of his lips brushing against Dean’s before completely closing the distance between them. He kept one hand on the other boy’s face while one hand splayed against his back, keeping him as close as he could. It had been too long and he felt like he was gonna combust if they stopped anytime soon. 

Dean held him by his waist, his fingers digging into Fulton’s sides so hard it almost stung. Neither boy could seem to care at the moment. All that mattered was that they were together, breaking down their walls once again. It was like nothing had changed, like no time had passed. The kisses were slow. They cherished every little detail and tried to memorize the feeling as if they didn’t have all night. Dean refused to rush. 

A few soft kisses passed between them before Fulton found the strength to pull away. “Maybe I could come down here next year.”

“Wait, what?”

“I could come down here for college. I mean, I’d be a freshman but we could still probably play together and we’d see each other every day! Oh, and until then, we could just take turns visiting each other. We can.. we can make this work, Dean.”

“You mean it? You’re serious?”

Fulton nodded. “It’s not like I’m doing it just for you, either. Ive been wanting to get away from my dad and actually start college next year and I mean, Aurora has a good hockey team and probably has good majors for me.” His smile faded as he realized Dean was staring at him, his lips parted slightly. “Unless, you think it’s a bad idea. It was just a suggestion, it’s not like—“ Dean cut him off with another soft kiss, cradling his face in his hands. 

“I’m all for it, dude. I just want you to be happy and I want to try again. If you coming to Aurora is what it takes for both those things, I’m all for it.”

Fulton wrinkled his nose. “Don’t call me dude after we just kissed.”

“What do you want me to call you then? Sweetie?”

“God, no.”

“Doll face?”

“No.”

“Snookums?”

Why are they getting worse?”

“How about—“ Fulton surged forward and kissed him deeply in an attempt to shut him up. Dean was well aware of what he was doing but didn’t care when Fulton’s chest was against his and his hands were in his hair. 

Kissing Fulton made Dean forget about his leg, even as it ached. Having him close made him feel like he could get through it okay. This wasn’t the end of the world, not even close, because Fulton loved Dean. He was here and he was willing to try again. Dean may not have been invincible but with Fulton by his side, he sure felt like it.


End file.
